Five Principles

We strive to create learning environments where the following Five Principles
of Personalized Learning are present and interwoven. We partner with educators
to meet students where they are—incorporating student agency, voice, and
choice

Competency-Based Learning

Students move at their optimal pace and receive credit when they demonstrate mastery of competencies—or learning targets—at each new level.

Flexible Learning

Time, space, and teacher roles adapt to the needs of students through the use of technology and flexible structures, rather than being a fixed, "one size fits all" experience.

Student-Driven Learning

Students exercise voice and choice in their learning and co-create personal academic profiles and learning plans focused on student interests, aspirations, and learning challenges.

Dispositions for Learning

With a focus on equity, identity, and concern for others, students develop the attitudes and habits necessary for academic growth and preparation for life in a global society.

Authentic Learning

Students engage in standards-aligned workplace, project- and community-based learning, with multiple opportunities to demonstrate what they know and are able to do.

“Individuality has always been an important part of being an American, yet our education system continuously tries to make a one-size-fits-all model for learning. MA PLN allows teachers to implement an idea, not another program or initiative, from the ground up to reformulate how we think about learning and what we really want for our students later on in life. ”
Justin Villet, SAGE Teacher, Walsh Middle School

A Vision for Personalized Learning in Massachusetts

As a movement, personalized learning holds great promise. Dan French and Diana Lebeaux examine the educational context of Massachusetts and opportunities for transformation. The paper investigates the commonwealth's strong reputation for educational achievement to reveal entrenched achievement gaps and to suggest that the very measures we use to evaluate schools and students do not align with important indicators of preparation for college, career, and civic life in the 21st century.